I Knew Her As August

two: crowning a king

The live band brought the party to life with joyous chords that rang across the throne room and attached ballroom. The entire party swayed with happiness, but Nicki shuffled her feet in discontent. She still hadn't had the chance to talk to her brother, yet it seemed like every other guest had had the pleasure.

The girls were trying to convince the new king how they were so much more interesting and pretty than the last girl he talked to; even though there was little to no difference. Wide eyes, fake smile.

"I wish those girls would leave him alone. Don't they know this is his party? Not some dating convention," Tulip scoffed with disgust. She sat in a mock version of a throne below Nicki's exquisite throne, next to Queen (well, now ex-Queen) Gwendolyn. They all sat together obediently watching the party, behaving like proper royalty by not moving a muscle or raising their voices.

"Really, Copenhagen would have more fun chatting it up with the other soldiers. At least their ass-kissing is a little more subtle." Nicki muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Language, Nicolette. Don't make me send you away," her mother snapped. Nicki sighed and returned to sulking in silence.

She watched the different couples dance across the room with minimal interest. Sometimes the girls would switch dancing partners, only to realize the grass wasn't greener and they'd start their search all over. Usually this meant they'd try to talk to Copenhagen, again.

After meeting Bethany for the fourth time, Nicki noted a sense of boredom in Copenhagen's face.

Me too, brother, Nicki thought with a thick huff of her breath.

"Can Tulip and I get something to drink? It's hot in here," Nicki tried to ask her mother as innocently as she could. She couldn't sit still for another second.

Gwendolyn glared down the bridge of her nose, weighing over the request in her head. Her mother had a knack for keeping her anger subtle.

"Alright. I'll have the Captain escort you," she claimed, waving him over. Nicki tried her hardest not to groan, but the deadly look her mother threw her way showed that maybe Nicki should practice her own subtlety.

Captain Milo came before the ladies and bowed. He was dressed better than he usually was — he had traded his guard uniform for a purple coat with a tail so long it just missed the floor. His long black hair was tied neatly in a ponytail, exposing his harsh face and the scar he'd received years ago that cut along his jawline up to his eyebrow like a crescent moon.

Nicki would have told him he looked handsome then, but she would save such a compliment for a better time. The night was still too young to use all her cards.

"You summoned me, your majesty?" Captain Milo asked, his voice polite. He might have looked like he was at a party, but he was still very much in work-mode.

"Will you escort Princess Nicolette and Madam Tulip to the refreshments? Try to keep them from getting distracted." She said 'them', but Nicki knew she meant just her.

The Captain nodded and extended an arm to each girl, guiding them away from the thrones. From afar, one might think that Milo was the second most popular man at the party with two beautiful blonds on his arm. He was more than welcome to find a wife but had never shown interest. Nicki used to joke that kissing the queen's butt was his only love, but not everyone found it funny.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Captain Milo?" Tulip asked him softly as they made their way across the ballroom.

"Very much, thank you," he answered shortly, though he smiled down at Tulip kindly. "Are you girls having fun?"